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This study seeks differences in the degree completion and time-to-degree of native versus transfer private pilots along with transfer private pilots required to take proficiency training versus those who did not take proficiency training before beginning the aviation flight program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC). An ex-post facto descriptive study of 338 flight students that began commercial pilot training between the fall 1998 through the summer 2003 semesters measured completion or exit from the SIUC flight program. The study population was determined from the Student Information System and the data on degree completion and time-to-degree was gathered from the students' flight training records. Chi-squares were used to determine significance (p<.05) in degree completion percentages and t-tests were used to determine days-to-degree significance (p<.05). The study concludes that there are no significant differences between native and transfer or proficiency and direct-entry private pilots at SIUC.

Preparing for a career in airport management not only requires appropriate education, but formal training as well. Too often, many college graduates are faced with no experience and entry-level airport management positions that require some experience. Unless a recent graduate is able to secure an airport internship, progression in the airport management field may seem daunting, if not impossible. To this end, this article presents findings on the expert opinions of airport managers nationwide regarding the most important airport departments in which an intern should gain experience, the benefits of internship programs, and the recommended structure of a departmental rotation airport internship program. Utilizing the 1996-97 AAAE Membership Directory and Yellow Pages of Corporate Members (American Association of Airport Executives, 1997), a written mail survey was sent to a nationwide random sample of 200 airport managers in January 1998. Results, which are presented using percentage distribution tables and descriptive statistics, show that the majority of airport managers view their careers as challenging and interesting, consider Finance along with Planning & Development the most important airport departments in which an intern should gain experience, and feel that an internship program is extremely beneficial to the intern, while also being beneficial to the airport.

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The Council on Aviation Accreditation (CAA) was established in 1988 in response to the need for formal, specialized accreditation of aviation academic programs. The first aviation programs were accredited by the CAA in 1992, and as of November 2007, the newly renamed Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI) recognized a total 78 accredited programs at 26 institutions worldwide. Although the number of aviation academic programs accredited by the AABI has steadily grown, there are currently only 26 percent of UAA member institutions with AABI accredited programs.In an effort to understand the current status of specialized accreditation in collegiate aviation and the reasons why so few aviation programs are accredited by the AABI, a comprehensive study was undertaken to determine the perceptions held by the following four stakeholders of collegiate aviation regarding specialized accreditation by AABI: administrators of both AABI accredited and non-AABI accredited aviation programs, aviation program students, and aviation industry employers. This article is the first in a series of three reporting the results of this nationwide study.This study utilized a non-experimental, mixed method research design, with quantitative and qualitative attributes. Descriptive research and cross-sectional surveys were tools used to gather data. Data analysis was conducted on both nominal and ordinal data via frequency distributions, content analysis, chi-square, and Mann-Whitney U-test.Recommendations specific to part one of this nationwide study include: (a) The Aviation Accreditation Board International should explore the intrinsic merits of accreditation to truly determine how beneficial AABI accreditation is and the degree to which AABI is fulfilling its original purpose; (b) Administrators of AABI accredited programs with a strong belief in the value of AABI accreditation to collegiate aviation should educate administrators of non-AABI accredited programs about these benefits; and (c) Administrators of non-AABI accredited programs should examine the new outcomes-based AABI criteria to determine if the flexibility inherent in the new criteria are sufficient to enable their programs to pursue AABI accreditation.